Historical

This city was establish in 1633, by Sayyid Munawar Lashkar Ali, and named Muzaffarnagar in honour of his father, Sayyid Muzaffar Ali Khan, who was appointed ruler of this region by the Mogul Emperor Akbar . The older parts of the city have a Mogul feel and many monuments of Mogul period are also spread in the surrounding villages and towns of Muzaffarnagar district.

It appears that this Janapada was a part of Harappa civilisation, for the pots and pans and other objects of the type of that era are seen occasionally still in use in many neighbouring villages. Also, according to a local tradition, the legendary Mahabharata war - between the Kauravas and the Pandavas - was fought in the fields of the present village of 'Pachenda' and their army camps were located respectively at the sites now famous as 'Kaurawali' and 'Pandavli'.

Geography

Muzaffarnagar is located at . The city's total area in 1901 amounted to 1,963,662 acres, or 1,662 square miles and in 2000 to 4049 square km. National Highway-58 passes through Muzaffarnagar city and it is situated midway on this Delhi-Roorkee-Dehradun Highway. It is also well connected by road and railway network.

Demographics

According to the 2001 India census, Muzaffarnagar had a population of 316,452 with 14% of the population under 6 years of age. The city has 30% Hindus, 60% Muslims, 03% Sikhs, .05% Christians and .05% Jains; Males constitute 53% of the population and females 47%.

Economy

Muzaffarnagar is an important industrial town with sugar, steel and paper being the major products. It has 11 sugar mills which receive sugar-cane produce from the surrounding region; more than 70% of the region's population is engaged in agriculture. The Muzaffarnagar market of Jaggery (heat-dried sugar-cane juice, called 'Gud' in local language) was once the largest in Asia.

According to Economic Research firm Indicus Analytics, Muzaffarnagar has the highest agricultural GDP in Uttar Pradesh.

Education

There are good schools and colleges in the city. The city has a Medical College and also privately funded colleges like S.D. College of Engineering & Technology, S.D. College of Management Studies, Shri Ram Group of Colleges, Deen Dayal Group of Colleges, Skylark College of Technical Education & Management and CMIS (College of Management and Sciences). Also, city have a good coaching center called "Career Launcher" for MBA entrace prepration.

Swami Kalyan Devji Maharaj was a unique personality who had dedicated himself to community service and had been serving villagers and others. Due to his efforts, nearly 200 institutions of National importance got established during the last one hundred years. These include: Gandhi Polytechnic, Ayurved Medical College, Ayurved Research Centre, Agriculture College, Agriculture Science Centre, Hospitals, Eye Hospitals, Degree Colleges, Inter Colleges, Senior Secondary Schools, Navodaya School, Girls' Schools, Junior High Schools, Primary Schools, Sanskrit Pathshalas, Dumb Deaf and Blind School, Yoga Training Centre, Ambedkar Hostel, Dharmshalas, Orphanage, Old Persons' Ashram, Old Cow's Protection Centre and several other spiritual and religious centres.

Another pride of the city is Prof. B. Raman, popularly known as Siksha-rishi Guruji, who has enlightened the life of numerous students and their guardians; several poor children have also been helped to quit bad habits and to move towards literacy by Raman Guru-ji.

Some important places of Muzaffarnagar

Religious: Shukratal is a well known religious place in Muzaffarnagar. Bhairo Ka Mandir, managed by a Paliwal Family (a zamidar brahamin family) and situated on Ansari Road, Muzaffarnagar, is a very quiet spiritual place to spend time as very few people visit it. A feature of special significance in the temple is its Ekadash Shivalinga (eleven Shivlingas). "Balaji-ka-mandir" is also a famous temple; it is situated in 'New Mandi' area of Muzaffarnagar.